What "is" and what "should be"

Lately, I am reading the Bible through the lens of 'what is' rather than 'what should be' and it has been very enlightening.

The OT is record of humanity's interactions with God. Most of the interactions tell us what happens when people stop trusting God and take matters into their own hands. The story about the Israelites worshiping the golden calf is a good example of this; David and Bathsheba is another; and Sodom and Gomorrah is another - the larger lesson is God is powerful so you better not disobey Him, or try to apply a human solution to problems because you will end up creating greater atrocities (worshiping Baal / offering up your daughters).

Paul's writings are filled with stories of what is, which we interpret as what should be. Boasting, covering your head, women speaking out in Church - are we supposed to be imitating these practices - no. Paul is talking to specific churches about specific problems - what is.

As soon as we figure out which verses are communicating what is instead of what should be in the Bible, we will stop having dumb arguments over wearing long hair, or works vs, faith, or whether or not Jesus ascended under His own power to Heaven, or who should be kicked out of the church. None of these events or arguments should be getting in the way of loving each other. We are constantly missing the forest for the trees because we try to imitate what is instead of just interpreting as simply what happened.